Laney's Demons
by SenseiKitten
Summary: Laney Penn's family are attacked one night, leaving her parents dead and Laney mentally traumatized. She is taken into care by the local mental hospital, Peaceville, where she meets a strange band of misfits: guitar player Corey Riffin and twin brothers, Kin and Kon Kujira, who might just lead her on the road to recovery. *Disclaimer: I do not own Grojband.* AU ON HOLD
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey. My ten-year old brother introduced me to Grojband, and I reluctantly started watching it with him. Now I think I'm more obsessed with it than he is. e.e Seriously. I'm not kidding. I already ship Corney, KonTrina and Minick. x.x**

**I was browzing Tumblr, and I saw all the grojstuff (grojstuff omg sorry) and saw all the fanart and the fics and memes and gifs and and and**

**I think that Grojband will be the next MLP. althoughiquestionthemlpfandom COUGHCOUGHMOLESTIACOUGHCOUGh Seriously. MLP is geared for girls 2-11, yet they have teenage and adult fans, including men. For airing in June, Grojband is already pretty big, and a good amount of the show's fans are over the targeted age (6-11). o.o**

**By the way, Laney is 13 in the prologue, but the characters will be older in the actual chapters than they are in the show - I'm thinking that Corey & Co would be 15 and Trina, Mina, and Nick would be 18. **

**Well, this is what you guys wanted to read, the real fic and not my long boring author's note. c:**

* * *

When I wake, I feel sticky and I ache all over.

My mind is foggy, and I turn over to stare at the ceiling. A searing pain shoots up my leg and I yelp. I think it might be broken.

I glimpse at my hand, which is lying a red substance. Holding it up in front of my face, the metallic scent of freshly fallen blood wafts through my nose. "M-Moooooom?" I call out hesitantly. I can barely move. I sit up, and I glance down at my bloodied shirt. There are multiple wounds on my legs and chest, and the one by my neck scares me. The carpet around my body is stained red. Lightheaded, I rest my head on the ground and run a hand through my short hair.

Getting up to my feet isn't easy. I keep tripping as I stumble out of the bedroom. I've barely taken two steps and I'm already exhausted. I can't remember a thing. "Mom? Dad?" No reply.

Then, I remember. I can feel my meal from earlier today rising in my throat, and suddenly I'm sprawled over the floor, emptying my stomach out onto the floor, along with blood. Images of my Dad on the floor, bleeding out his life, my mother's throat in the man's hands...

I plead with myself to get up and call 911, but all I can manage is a crawl, sliding down the stairs slowly and making my way to the phone charger on the kitchen table. I can view my father's body laying near the doorway. The vomit threatens to spill once more, but I choke it down. I reach for the phone, grasping it tightly in my palm as I punch in the numbers. "911, what's your emergency?" The lady on the other end is calm.

"M-My parents... I'm hurt... 801 Adams Road." The dispatcher answers, "What's going on? Is there blood?"

But I can't answer before darkness swarms my vision, and I'm out cold on the floor.

* * *

**Okay, there won't be many violent scenes in this fic, but if it ever does get more violent than this, I'll change it to M, but for now it's staying T. **

**And I'm sorry that it's so short. The first chapter will be longer, I promise. **

**Until next time,**

**TheCraftyKitten**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you for the favs. c: I feel bad for making the Prologue so short.**

* * *

"I just know you'll love it, Laney!" Ms. Grant, my legal guardian, has her eyes stretched wide, as if she's telling a small child a story. "There are plenty of other kids your age at Peaceville, and you'll have fun all day long!" She exclaims.

I'm not amused, so I only let out a tiny mutter from my lips that sounds like something in between a groan and a _pfft. _I didn't want to go to this stupid hospital, even if it was only for six months. Ms. Grant keeps telling me that after I get out, I'll be able to go back to a public school if I wanted, and get my life back on track.

But the thing is, I don't want to go back to school. I don't like loud noises and people around me, or even worse, touching me. I've gotten used to Ms. Grant, seeing I've lived with her for two years after the death of parents, but even she keeps her distance. I can't say I'll miss her - she's very annoying - but I'm forever grateful for her care.

Ms. Grant is a childcare worker and occasionally a substitute teacher - she _loves _kids. Originally, she was the one who was there when I had woken up in the emergency room and had carefully explained what had happened. She had payed for for my hospital bills and signed all my papers. Initially I was only to stay in Ms. Grant's care for a couple of weeks, but she grew attached to me and became my guardian.

Ms. Grant pulls to a stop at a curb. "Why'd we stop?" I ask, glimpsing out the window. My stomach drops when I see "PEACEVILLE" sprawled over a sign outside the doors of the large hospital. "We're here already! Yay!" She puts her keys in her purse and opens her door, going over to my side to open mine. I notice that the scarf I wear around my neck has moved, revealing the long scar between my shoulder blades.

I always wear the scarf, even during the summertime.

I get escorted through the doors of Peaceville. I'm amazed by how extravagant the interior of the lobby is, with lush furniture and paintings. Doctors passing by give me smiles and one even tries to hug me before Ms. Grant comes to my rescue. "She doesn't like being touched." She quickly informs, attempting a smile before pulling me over to the front desk. "How may I help you?" The receptionist smiles, looking down at me. "I'm here to check Laney Penn in." Ms. Grant says. "Sign here and have Ms. Penn sign over here." She points to two different locations on the paper.

Scribbling my signature on the small line, Ms. Grant squeezes my shoulders. "I'll come back to visit sometimes, Laney. Before you know it, it'll be too embarrassing because of all the friends you'll make!"

_I'm not a little girl!_

"I'll call you soon, Laney. Bye-bye." She kisses me on the cheek and looks back as she makes her way towards the automatic front doors.

_Don't go. _I suddenly feel very lonely.

"Take a seat in the waiting room until Mr. Mellow comes to get you." The receptionist points a pen in that direction, where a bunch of kids and teenagers are waiting with parents or by themselves. Some tick or jerk occasionally. One little girl is bawling her eyes out, for what seems to be no clear reason.

"Laney Penn?"

_That didn't take long, _I think to myself. Standing in front of me is a dark-skinned, balding man with black glasses, wearing a brown suit. "I'm Mr. Mellow." He takes my hand, and is about to shake firmly before I slap it away. His face drops for a second, but then he straightens his glasses. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Your record says that you don't like being touched. Honest mistake."

"Come along, Ms. Penn. I'm going to show you your sleeping quarters, then I'll talk about the rules here at Peaceville, and after that we can all go out into the courtyard where you can meet the others - I'm sure they'll love you!"

_Not other people! _

But I guess if I wanted to get better, I'd have to get used to being around other people.

"Of course, not everyone are exactly fifteen years old, but they're all around your age - teenagers." Mr. Mellow says, handing me a small book. "You can read this before you go to bed, but I recommend we go over some simple rules before going to meet your friends."

He calls them friends. I've never met them before.

I quietly shut Mr. Mellow out. I can still hear his words, but my mind is drifting elsewhere, watching nurses file in and out of rooms. I pay attention to Mr. Mellow's important rules, like not saying anything "triggering" in front of the others, or being rude. I'm contemplating about whether I should actually read the rulebook - I probably should. It looks pretty long.

"...And this is where you'll be staying, Ms. Penn." Mr. Mellow opens the door to my new room. The bed is wood, with dark gray sheets. The floor and ceiling tiles are white, but on one wall a beautiful painting has been drawn. A sunset over water. Mixtures of red, yellow, and orange glittering over the pale blue waves. There's also a closet for my clothes and a nightstand for me to put my few belongings. A small desk sits near the door. "You can write or draw at the table before bed, if you'd like. There's plenty of paper in the drawer." Mr. Mellow opens the tiny compartment so I can view the sheets of lined paper. "You can unpack now, and later I'll come and bring you to the courtyard." He closes the door abruptly, and I flinch.

_Okay, Laney, breathe. _

I take out all my clothes first and hang them up in the closet. When I run out of hangers, I gently fold the rest and set them at the bottom. I take off my boots and place them by the door. Slowly, this room is beginning to turn into mine. I feel a strange, giddy happiness bubbling in my chest as I get out a few personal items, like my stuffed unicorn Sparkle, my mascara pen, a tiny silver pin shaped like a heart, etcetera.

I hid Sparkle under the bed if someone was going to be peeking inside my room while I was away.

That would be _really _embarrassing.

* * *

**No, Laney doesn't actually own a stuffed unicorn in the show. c: And we'll get to meet the others in Chap 2, I promise.**

**Until next time,**

**TCK**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who left the kind reviews and the favs. It brought a smile to my face. c: Also, the cover is not owned by myself. It is owned by ithinkthatsrad on Tumblr. Go check her out if you have the time. c:**

* * *

"Laney Penn?"

I jump from my place on the bed and pull the pillow up to my chest. "I'll be back in about fifteen minutes, so if you please, can you get ready?" Mr. Mellow's voice sounds from the hallway.

I hated Mr. Mellow already. They say he's a nice guy, but he's very loud. I don't like loud people.

I get dressed into my normal attire - a green and black-striped t-shirt with short, yellow sleeves. I re-apply my mascara and comb my short red hair, wincing in slight pain as I go through a knot.

Sooner or later, as I'm slipping on my boots, Mr. Mellow knocks on the door, making me jump again. "Are you ready yet?"

"Just give me a sec," I rasp, staring at the wall. I've never done this in two years. Interact with other human beings my age. And, before I had been deemed insane by court and forced to come to Peaceville, I hadn't ever planned to. I was just going to be a failure, a person who's life had been ruined by a murder.

Or should I say _murders._

Everyone always pitied the kids who were victims of crime. They'd feel sorry for you for a few months, and then you'd eventually get forgotten about and thrown in the trash.

When I'm finally ready to face my fears, I step outside my door, where Mr. Mellow and a few other caretakers are waiting for me. "We're going to a group therapy session. It'll be like a little get-to-know-you- kind of thing." Mr. Mellow explains. "Now, some of the others are a little... violent, so be gentle with them."

I let out a small, almost inaudible mumble escape my lips.

Mr. Mellow leads me down the flight of stairs to the main floor, leading me past the lobby and down the long hall. We stop at one door, and he turns back to look at me. "Make a good impression, Ms. Penn." He opens the door and motions with his hands for me to come in.

I already feel faint.

There are multiple teenagers in this room. I'm guessing about twenty or so. When I step inside, all of them stop their chatter and swivel around their heads to stare at me.

"This is Laney Penn." Mr. Mellow introduces. "How about you take a seat next to Mr. Riffin?" He points to a chair next to a boy who looks about my age. He has blue hair, strangely. Dyed, I would hope. He sports an orange beanie with a skull sewn into it. He wears a black and white concert shirt, which is 3/4 sleeve type with a white collar, and orange shorts that go past his knees to match his hat.

"Hi, Laney!" This Riffin kid says excitedly. "I'm Corey."

"Mr. Riffin! Save the introduction for later, please." Mr. Mallow says. He goes up to the desk in the front of the room. It almost feels like school. "Ms. Penn will now be joining us here at Peaceville. She seems like a gifted girl and I hope you can all take the time to get to know her." He says. "Now, would anyone like to explain what we do here at these sessions?"

A skinny boy, Japanese by the looks of it, raises his hand. "Erm, first we talk about how our day has gone. And then Mr. Mellow talks about what we're going to do today at the session, and then we usually go outside if it's nice out and talk... about stuff." He straightens his glasses once he's finished.

"Kin is very right!" Mr. Mellow smiles. "So, starting with Mr. Riffin, how has everyone's day been?"

"Well, my day's been fantastic! Mr. Pena let me play my drums in the gymnasium, and he even said I was good!" The chunky boy who was sitting next to Kin kicks his feet in excitement. Mr. Mellow blinks. "Well, I asked Mr. Riffin, but that's great to hear, Kon."

Corey gives Kon a look. "My day was okay. Mrs. W called me in for one of those boring conferences." He makes a face. "But I got to play my guitar."

Mr. Mellow moves on to a girl with pink hair. "How about you, Trina?" _Man, there are a lot of kids with dyed hair in this class._

She examines her fingernails. "Um, yeah. My day was not cool and junk, cos I could hear my lame-o brother's music everywhere I went and stuff." Corey's fingers clench the sides of his chair, and his face is pink with anger. _So, Corey and Trina are related, huh?_

After about everyone has shared, Mr. Mellow picks up a clipboard. "We're going to go outside, now. Buddy up!"

Some of these kids must be pretty messed up if we need buddies just to go outside.

But who am I to judge?

Someone pokes my shoulder, and I startle in my chair. I turn to meet Corey's blue eyes. "Wanna buddy up?"

How can I say no to that face?

"Ummm, sure."

Corey eagerly scrambles out of his chair, pulling on my arm. "Let's go!"

I pull back uncomfortably. "Oh, um, sorry Laney." He drops it and it falls back to my side. Mr. Mellow must have given them specific instructions not to touch me.

But Corey is a very touchy guy.

We go in a loose single file line. Corey is humming loudly and his hands are waving from side to side. He bothers me slightly, but he looks pretty happy, so I won't tamper with that.

"This is nice," I try to compliment. The courtyard reminds me of my old Middle School. "Yeah. It's pretty cool." Corey answers.

Mr. Mellow makes us sit in a circle. I find myself next to Corey again. "Okay. I would like Laney to introduce herself." He announces, pointing a pen at me. Everyone's eyes are staring into my head.

_Go away, go away! _

"Well..." I stare at my feet. "My... My parents..." I beg myself not to cry and ruin my makeup.

"You don't have share that, Laney. How old are you? What do you like to do?" Mr. Mellow tries to change the topic off the reason I'm here. "I like to... I like to draw. And I'm fifteen."

"Oh, I'm fifteen, too!" Kon giggles. Corey shrugs. "Same here."

"What's your favorite color?" Kon asks. He must like asking these questions. My mouth is about to form the word pink, but instead I blurt out, "Black."

Trina huffs. "The next thing we need is another suicidal emo kid." She crosses her arms over her chest. "Would you like to explain your predicament, Trina?" Mr. Mellow asks in a testy tone. "Ugh, fine, whatever." Trina mumbles.

"Mr. Pena says that I have minor autism." Kon says happily. I figured.

"Would anyone else like to introduce themselves to Laney?"

Slowly Corey raises his hand.

* * *

**End of chapter 2. ^-^**

**TCK**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't think The Newmans would be in the hospital with Laney & Co, but they will make an appearance sooner or later. c:**

**Also, this would be Laney's first day at Peaceville, so this chapter would take place late afternoon/evening.**

* * *

"Well, my name is Corey Riffin." He begins. "My favorite color is blue - that's why I dyed my hair that color - and I like to play the guitar." He pauses. "I also have OCD and ADD."

_Oh._

"Nick Mallory wants to say hi to Laney Penn, too." The older kid with the blonde-brown hair opens one eye. _Why does he talk in third person?_

Nick tugs on his red jacket. "Nick Mallory is eighteen years old. He has a little brother named Mick Mallory."

_Mick and Nick Mallory. Wow, his parents were real creative. _

"Nick Mallory loves playing football."

Mr. Mellow rubs his hands together. "Thank you, Mr. Riffin and Mr. Mallory. Anybody else?"

Kin raises his hand. "I'm Kin. Kon and I are twins. I like inventing stuff." He doesn't state why he's at Peaceville. _Weird. Twins at Peaceville. _

"Anybody else?" Mr. Mellow glances at the other teens.

Nobody makes an effort to introduce themselves.

"Okay." Mr. Mellow examines the piece of paper on his clipboard. "I'm going to hand you all a piece of paper, and you're going to draw or write what you're feeling as of now." Once the paper is in my lap, I attempt to start drawing, but my pencil breaks through the thin sheet. "Um, Mr. Mellow?" I raise my hand. "Can I have another one, please?"

He doesn't look too enthusiastic. "Let me go get you all clipboards. My mistake."

Once he's gone, the group begins quiet chitterchatter.

Trina jabs at my chest. "So, why are you really here, loser?" She asks in her sneering voice. "Ummm..." I look at my feet. "Well..."

Corey jumps to his feet. "Stop it, Trina! You don't ask someone that!" He goes to shove her, but she swipes at him. "Come on, kid, I _asked you a question._" She pokes me again. "Hey everyone, listen up! Goth girl would like to speak!" A few snicker. "Trina!" Corey's voice is desperate. "Quiet, twerp!"

"I'm not goth.." I say quietly. "I didn't ask you that, did I?" Trina is right in my face. "Answer me, if you know what's good for you."

"Fine..."

Trina's eyes narrow and her sneer grows wider.

"When I was thirteen, there was a break-in and my parents were killed."

Trina cackled. "You're weak, Penn. What's this scarf for, hmm?" She grabs it and twirls it around her own shoulders. "Pretty nice." _Please don't notice, please don't notice... _"Oh, look! Everyone, look at what goth girl has!" She announces loudly. Corey glances behind my neck, and his eyes widen. "Laney?" I slap my hand over the scar, face flushing. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure, Penn?" Trina's voice is against my ear.

In a matter of seconds, my fist collides with her jawline. She gets knocked to the ground, mud spraying all over her white shirt. "You little shit!" Trina hisses. Her fingers make their way to my neck, and she grabs it firmly, screaming. I kick and cry, begging for someone else to help me. I can barely breathe. "S-STop!" I manage to choke out as she throttles me. I wonder if I'm going to die now.

All I can think about is, when, two years ago, that man had found me hidden behind the couch and had grabbed my neck the same way. He had squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, and then he had dropped me and then went for my Dad, who had a gun. The man had a knife, I remember, and he had stabbed my Dad. _Stab, stab. stab. _Over and over. Repeatedly.

And then, if it couldn't get any worse, shot him through the temple.

After he had killed my Dad, he went for my Mom and... did things to her. Bad, bad, horrible things. And then later he wrapped his fingers around her tiny neck like he had mine and squeezed, squeezed, squeezed, and it was over.

I can't remember anything after that, only that I think I had passed out, and then I had woken up a few hours later and called 911.

Suddenly, the weight around my neck vanishes, and I hit the ground with a loud _thud. _I think my cheek might be bleeding from the impact, but that's not my main concern.

Corey has Trina pinned in the grass. She's scratching and hissing like a deranged cat.

"What's this nonsense?"

I turn to see Mr. Mellow and a few caretakers standing close by.

"It's Trina! She was antagonizing Laney and then she started to choke her!" Kin exclaimed.

"She hit me, _nerd." _Trina snarls at Kin, struggling against Corey's arms. "Yeah, only because you were practically bullying her just to find out why she was here." Kin finishes, wincing, as if she were going to attack him too.

Mr. Mellow personally escorts Trina back to her room, so we can finish the therapy section. Mr. Pena, the man who works with Kon, sits down with us and tries to calm everyone down. I must seem pretty shaken up, because he has another worker bring me back into the building and to my room.

I sit down on the bed and pull my knees up to my chest. "Someone will come and fetch you for dinner, Ms. Penn." The worker says, quietly shutting the door. I can hear his footsteps as the vanish down the hall. _Tap, tap,_ tap.

Trying to think about what had just happened about ten minutes ago, I stare at the painting on the wall, of the sunset over water.

_"Now, some of the others are a little... violent," _Mr. Mellow had said.

He wasn't lying.

* * *

A few hours later, someone knocks on the door, which scares me half to death, like it always does. "Time for dinner, Ms. Penn."

I fix myself up and open the door, peeking out at the caretaker. "The dining hall is downstairs. You'll go there everyday for meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There won't be snacks in between, unless told otherwise by staff, okay?'

I nod to tell him I was listening.

The dining hall isn't luxurious in any way. It's just a large, white room with many round tables for people to sit. Some have already seated themselves down with their food, digging into their meals.

Today's meal is fried chicken and corn. I plop the meal onto my plate and get a salad and pour some lemonade.

"Hey! Hey Laney!"

Glancing around the room, I spot Corey, Kin, and Kon waving to me from their table. "Come sit with us!"

I slid into my chair with ease. "Sorry about Trina, Lanes." Corey says. "She's a huuuuge jerk. Just look at her flirting with Nick over there." He points over to Nick's table, where Trina and her loyal sidekick, Mina, are swooning over Nick's lustrous golden-brown hair.

"So, Lanes," Corey begins.

_Lanes?_

"What do you like to do? We never heard much about you yet." He asks. "I used to like to play instruments..."

Corey's face brightens. "Really? Which ones?"

I fiddle with my corn. "A lot. But I don't really like to play them anymore."

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**

**c:**

**TCK**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Again, thank you so much for the favs and the reviews - they mean a lot. **

* * *

"Hey, Laney."

Looking up from my sketch in my notebook, I glance up towards Kin. "Oh, Kin. Hi." I greet nervously. He grasps my hand and shakes. "I figured someone should get to know you better, other than _Corey, _of all people." He laughs sarcastically. "I'm in here because of my brain."

I raise an eyebrow. "Aren't we all?" I chuckle.

Kin snorts. "Well, I guess so, but the court called me insane because of my crazy imagination and hallucinations. And I have really bad short-term memory loss..." He scratches the back of his neck. "One time I forgot what lemonade was, but I made it anyway and said that I was the creator of lemonade." His face turns beat red, while I let out a giggle.

It's then when I realize that I haven't laughed in a _long _time.

There's a long, awkward, pause, until Kin finally says, "Kon and I are Siamese twins. If you look at Kon's back, you can see the scars." His lips form a line. "Really?" I glance over at Kin's larger twin, who was playing Chess with Corey, who happened to be deliberately letting him win. "Yeah. We've been together for a _long _time... We were abandoned, you see, because our Mom didn't want to take care of us." He looks over at his brother. "Especially with Kon having autism and all."

A little part of my heart breaks, just now. Poor Kin, and poor Kon. Nobody deserves anything like that.

"At first they said that Kon didn't need to go to Peaceville, but they figured that it would be best to keep up together. Plus, Kon could use a little help, you know?"

"Sorry about that, man." Is all I can manage to say. "Hey, maybe once we get out of here, we'll all be normal people."

We both share another round of laughs.

"So... why is Corey in here? Other than his ADD and OCD... I know tons of kids who have those, but why is Corey so special?" I regret the words as soon as they come out of my mouth.

So, slowly and steadily, Kin agrees to tell me everything about the kids at Peaceville - as long as it was between both of us.

* * *

As Kin explains, I find out that Corey and Trina had been born to two famous rockstars that had swept the nation by storm. It turns out that I had heard of them - I had even been to a concert when I was eleven for the woman, who was a singer and a fiddle player in a dark, soul felt band. The two had apparently met at a wedding where their bands had collided to perform. They had more of a one-night stand, but after Trina had been conceived, she made him promise to help her take care of her. I've never heard of Corey and Trina until Peaceville, so I'm guessing that they kept the births secret.

The two argued frequently and fought over nothing, even after Corey was born three years later. Kin tells me that they were abusive parents, and that Corey had a scar over his stomach from where he had been hit with a belt. When Corey was five and Trina was eight, they ended their relationship and put both up for adoption, not wanting to ever see them again. Kin explains that Corey aspires to be a rockstar like both his parents so they can love him again, which makes the crack in my heart a little wider. Trina, however, hates rock music due to her parents and is violent because of the physical abuse she put up with when she was young. They were adopted by a single father, who, in turn, sent them to Peaceville to clean up their lives. Kin surprises me when he says that he is in a band with Corey and Kon, but they're missing a bass player.

Mina Beff, who is basically Trina's lapdog, grew up in a loving and happy home, much like myself, with her younger sister, Carrie, whom I later found out was part of a band, very much like Corey's. Then, one night, while returning home late at night from studying at the library, had been abducted and held hostage for days, where she was molested and physically injured, hours on end. She was rescued by police and brought back to her family, but she had never been the same ever since.

Nick Mallory, the handsome, flirtatious eighteen year old, was flying in a plane to visit his grandparents in Montana. It had broken down mid-flight and wrecked in the middle of the wilderness, leaving most of the passengers dead, including his parents. His younger brother Mick had survived, and is currently alive and well and living with the sibling's aunt and uncle. Nick, however, had never gotten over the wreck and started referring to himself in third person, and suffers terrible memory loss due to the brain damage that had been given to him during the crash.

Then, Kin tells me about Kate and Allie, two adorable eleven year olds that absolutely adore Corey, Kin, and Kon's music. Kate has long blonde hair, whilst Allie has curly brown hair, and glasses. The two had been best friends in the elementary school they had attended, where there had been a school shooting, which scarred them for life. Both became suicidal and depressed.

Kin doesn't have time to tell me the rest, but he gives out descriptions of plenty of other kids. "Damn, Kin, how do you know all this stuff?" It seems a bit fishy, to me. "It's the therapy sessions. Every class, each person gives out a little bit of information about their lives, so over the weeks I've collected so much data that I can put all the puzzle pieces together an find out what happened to them."

_That's kind of creepy. Knowing every kid's problem here._

"Yes! I beat Corey again!" Kon exclaims. "Yeah, sure, whatever." Corey says bluntly, but a smile is threatening to tug at his lips. "Hey, Kon! Another round, you and I!" Kin challenges. "Sure thing, bro!" Kon yells out as he sets up the pieces on their respectful sides.

I notice the cameras up against the corners of the walls and I shudder. "Hey, Lanes, you okay?" Corey asks. "No, no, I'm fine." I clench my teeth. "I just don't like cameras. They make me feel uncomfortable." Then, he does something that surprises me - puts an arm around my shoulder casually. I tense up once his skin touches mine. "Don't be scared, it's just there so the workers can keep an eye on us. Nobody can get us in here. We're safe."

When I turn to stare at Corey's face, he's not looking back. It's _him. _His face is drawn back in an absurd and horrible grin, and his eyes have that wild, killing look. "D-Don't touch me!" I screech, shoving him away from me. Everyone turns to stare, but it's not the people I know - it's _him. _Everyone is _him. _

_And I'm trapped in this this room with _him.

"Lanes?" Corey's voice sounds frightened and concerned. "Laney, what's wrong?"

I pull my knees up to my chest and cover up my face. Corey tries to get my attention, but I swipe at him with my chewed fingernails. Oh, yes, that's been a really bad habit of mine - when I get nervous, I chew them, which is why nowadays they're usually little stubs. "Don't hurt me! Leave me alone!" I yell. My voice is hoarse and dry, and I sound really pathetic.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Laney." Corey is crouched next to me. "See?" He opens his hands, as if to show me that he has nothing to hide. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

He extends his hand, and I stare blankly at it. "Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

_Do I?_

"Yes."

* * *

**Sorry that again, it was short. Next chapter will be longer, I swear! **

**TCK **


	6. Author's Note

**EVERYONE! I AM ALIVE!**

**Yes, I happened to change my username to NinjaCatMC. It's one of my common IGN's. This is the same person, I promise you!**

**School has started for me just this past week, and I've been extremely busy. I haven't had much time for , plus I've been hit with an extreme case of Writer's Block. I'll try and update this asap, as I'm working on the current chapter. I want it to be long, so... I'm trying to fit in as much stuff as I can.**

**I can't even begin to thank all of the people who faved or left a review. You guys are the best! I always try and work my hardest when it comes to writing. If you didn't review or fav, I'd probably would have given up by now. You're all wonderful and great and stuffs -hugs everyone-**

**For now, expect this to be updated over the course of the next week or so. I'm going to try and write another fic, to get my mind on other things, and then maybe I can get back to focuse on this story.**

**Love you all!**

**NinjaCatMC (TCK) **


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N: If any of you have an idea of how or what I should write, don't be afraid to tell me!**

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"YES! I GOT A SUCKER!" Kon screams, shoving the grape flavored blow pop in his mouth. A few of the others chuckle. "Okay, Laney Penn, you're on deck." A lady in a dark blue sweater and a matching pencil skirt calls from the desk. We're all sitting in the waiting room while everyone gets their personal therapy sessions over with. She calls in a girl with coppery-colored hair. I think her name is Chloe. She has the tendencies to grab things and throw them at people when she's angry.

After about an hour, while everyone is kicking each other with their feet, thumb wrestling, or playing with cards, Chloe comes out of the door. Her face is bright pink, and she's growling something to herself. "Laney Penn?" The lady taps her finger in boredom. "Ms. Doran's room is the furthest down the hall, on the right." She scribbles something out on a form, and makes me sign my name at the bottom. "Hand this to her when you see her."

I open the door and step inside, clenching the paper tightly. Corey says that Ms. Doran is firm but assuring, but even if that's true, I'm absolutely terrified. My legs are moving down the hall without my consent. If I had my way, I'd be curled up under my bed, hiding. Once I reach the door, I knock. "Come in." A raspy voice answers, suggesting that the person was once a smoker.

Sitting at a desk is a woman in her late forties, possibly early fifties. She's tanned slightly, and her hair is black. "You must be Laney." She grunts, taking out a folder from a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. "Your record says... You have Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder... and other things. Does this sound correct?"

I poke at my arm. "Yes." Ms. Doran dips her head, and begins typing on her computer. "First, what are your parents' names?" She asks, taking out a clipboard, waiting for my reply. "Mr. and Mrs. Penn." I state simply, kicking my legs slightly. "No, dear, first names."

"Aidan and Agatha Penn, ma'am."

"Any siblings?"

I take a second to think. "No."

Ms. Doran scribbles some more on her sheet. "How'd they die? If you don't like to explain, just give me a general idea."

"Umm..." I twiddle my thumbs. "There was a break-in. And... guns. And knives. And... stuff."

"What stuff?"

"...Hands."

There's an awkward pause. "...Okay. Let's do some other... things first. What's your favorite animal?" Ms. Doran asks. "Dogs." I immediantly reply, not knowing what else to say. "What kind of dogs?" She replies softly, folding her hands in her lap. "Brittanys. I've never had one, but I really like them." It's the truth, at least. She got what she wanted. "Awesome. We'll talk like this every time you come and see me, okay?" I shrug. "'Kay."

"I've talked to Mr. Mellow, and he believes we should give you some antidepressants and some tablets for anxiety. Is that right?" I take the Coke she left on the desk for me. "Sure." I grunt, twisting open the cap and setting it on the table, putting the bottle to my lips and tipping my head back.

"That's great to hear. I'll see you in a week for your next conference meeting. You can always stop by if you need to make an appointment." Ms. Doran says, smacking the gum she had been chewing in her mouth. She starts to fill out a form, makes me sign my name, again, and tells me to bring it to the receptionist.

I end up sitting down next to Corey, who's talking away to Kin about his Dad. "Yeah, there's going to be a concert next friday or something. I _really _want to go, but Mr. Mellow won't let me!" I quietly slide into the seat next to his, hoping not to be noticed.

Too late. The blue-haired teen turns to watch Mina vanish down the hall, and our eyes lock briefly, before I bashfully look away. "Oh, hey, Lanes! How'd your appointment go?" His shoulder bumps into mine slightly. "It was fine. How did yours go?" He rolls his shoulders. "It went okay. They're sooo boring, don't you agree?" I chuckle. "Yeah. They blow." We share another laugh.

"Mrs. W wanted me to talk about my friend, Andrew." Corey states, after a few seconds of silence. "We did everything together. I've known him since first grade." He looks at the floor. "He probably won't want to hang out with me anymore, if I get out."

_He said 'if.'_

I remember my best friend. Isabella 'Izzy' Woodfin. Just the thought of her makes me want to cry.

Tall, a bit chunky, but still beautiful, with long, black-brown hair that fell to her knees. Had the prettiest green eyes.

Wherever I went, Izzy followed, and vice-versa. Whenever I got into a tough situation, she was there to get me out of it. We hung out, had sleepovers, laughed together, cried together.

If I had to use one word to describe her, I'd say... _Energetic. _Or _loyal. _Because Izzy is definitely both of those things.

When I was in the hospital, she visited me. The first few times, I had pretended I was asleep, or too tired to talk. But the last time she came over. Sat on my bed, at first speechless, then asking if I was okay. I didn't answer, of course. Because I _wasn't. _

And I'm still not.

Izzy had waited and waited for me to speak, until she realized that I wasn't going to talk. "You know," she had said, a bit angrily, "I'm trying to help you, Laney! Maybe you should open up your eyes and let us in. I know it must be hard, but give us a goddamn chance!"

That was the last I had heard from her.

Thinking back on what Izzy had said, isn't this hospital supposed to help me? Is this what she wanted?

"Lanes?"

I snap my head over to the side, seeing Corey's worried face. My eyes are starting to sting. "Nothing." I push my feet together tightly and choke down the strained cry of distress that had been building up in there.

"Okay, just checking. It makes me upset when you are."

I grit my teeth together, the security camera incident from yesterday afternoon still fresh on my mind.

...

"What's it this time?" Kin asks, gripping the tray in his hands. "I think it's grilled cheese and tomato soup." Mina replies, matter-of-factly. "GRILLED CHEESE?!" Kon screams, cutting in line and grabbing his meal. Some other kids groan with annoyance. Chloe's face is turning red, until another girl puts a hand on her shoulder and leads her away to a table.

The grumpy, overweight man behind the counter sighs, plopping sandwiches onto people's plates. Once I'm up there, he puts a soggy thing on my plate. It doesn't even look like Grilled Cheese. More like two pieces of bread warmed up with a slice of monterey jack in between. "Would you like soup with that, ma'am?" The man huffs, boredly flicking around a red-covered spoon. I feel goosebumps traveling up my arm. "No thanks."

I'm out of there before he can even say a word.

Retreating over to Corey's table, I throw away the sandwich and sit down, pulling my hair away from my eyes. The boys have already eaten, to my surprise.

"Aren't you hungry, Laney?" Kin asks, tapping his finger on the wooden table. "Not really." I fiddle with some silverware. "What are you going to share at Mr. Mellow's 'group therapy'?" Corey leans back on his chair, tipping it. A woman barks a warning at him. "You'll have to wait and find out." My face tugs upwards in a smile. Corey sticks out his lower lip. "Aw, that sucks."

Kin opens his mouth, but is drowned out by Mr. Mellow tapping on the microphone at the front of the room. "Attention, patients!" A few of the easily-angered people, like Chloe, scream, "WHAT?!" Back at him, as of he had ruined their nice lunch. Some kid even starts growling, but a caretaker comes and calms him down.

"This evening's group therapy will be held indoors, as it has started to rain."

Outside, almost on cue, a clap of thunder sounds. There are cheers, groans, even a little tears, because of the thunder. "Have a good afternoon!" Mr. Mellow exclaims, setting down the mic and rushing off into the kitchen.

"Boooo. Indoor meetings." Corey makes a face. "I'd rather be outside than in this hellhole. The smell of this place - _like an actual hospital! _Disgusting."

"I like it when we stay indoors. It's so cozy, especially when it rains." Kin sighs contently. Kon seema pretty neutral about the proclamation, fidgeting in his chair and kicking his feet in the air. An untied shoe falls on the floor.

"Hey, Lanes, guess what!" Corey suddenly jerks. I jump, my fork clattering on the table. "What?" I put a hand over my chest. "I know what I can show you!" Whatever he's talking about, he's pretty excited.

"And what would that be?"

"My guitar!"


End file.
